Posted 26 January 2024 - 12:36
Posted 26 January 2024 - 12:36
News
Rise in nurse numbers ‘has not kept pace with demand for care’
Health think-tank says growth in staff has not been spread evenly across the NHS, and urges the government to address factors such as low staff satisfaction and poor work-life balance
Health think-tank says growth in staff has not been spread evenly across the NHS, and urges the government to address factors such as low staff satisfaction and poor work-life balance
A ‘workforce crisis’ and low staff satisfaction in the NHS are having a direct impact on patient care, a leading health think-tank has warned.
New figures show an increase in the total number of staff working in the health service, but The King’s Fund said workforce growth has not kept up with rising demand for care, and it expressed concern that the growth has not been evenly spread among staff groups.
Rise in number of nurses in NHS
NHS England (NHSE) data released on 25 January show there were 383,862 nurses and health visitors working in the NHS in October 2023, a 5.7% increase since October 2022.
NHSE said growth in the workforce came was a result of new routes into nursing and expanded international recruitment and retention initiatives.
Concerns about ‘low staff satisfaction, industrial action and poor work-life balance’
But The King’s Fund director of policy Sally Warren warned the growth in staff had not been spread evenly across the NHS.
‘For example, an increase in the number of nurses has been evident in acute hospital settings but has declined in learning disability services and community services,’ she said.
‘Additionally, the overall growth of the workforce has not kept pace with demand for services, which is increasing at an even faster rate.
‘Beyond the numbers, the NHS workforce is also encumbered with low staff satisfaction, ongoing industrial action, and many staff leaving the NHS due to poor work-life balance.’
Ms Warren said the government could address these issues by strengthening recruitment efforts and taking bolder action to improve retention, such as making the expansion of flexible working a priority.
Government aims to boost nurse training and recruitment
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out ambitious targets to double nurse training places by 2031 and recruit up to 190,000 more nurses by 2037.
It also promises to offer more routes into the profession by boosting nursing apprenticeships so students can ‘earn while they learn’.
Chief nursing officer for England Dame Ruth May said: ‘Key to this is improving the experiences of our colleagues who work so hard to provide patients and the public with the very best care.’
In other news